T-X Buffy
by APhantasm
Summary: On that fateful Halloween night. Buffy is talked into wearing a different costume. When the spell is ended, Buffy finds out she is no longer human, but a Terminator.
1. Chapter 1: Halloween

**Summary: **On that fateful Halloween night. Buffy is talked into wearing a different costume. When the spell is ended, Buffy finds out she is no longer human, but a Terminator.

**Disclaimer: **Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Annapurna Pictures owns the rights to Terminator till 2019 when they revert to James Cameron.

**Pairing: **Buffy/Willow

**A/U: **A/U after from Halloween on. With the exception of Dawn who is A/U from beginning of series.

**Author's Note:** I know that Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles airs five years after the end of BTVS. I have taken liberties and for the purposes of this story have it airing its first season in 1997. About Buffy being a T-X when Cameron was not. I had a poll up long before I even started this story. The majority of responders (6 out of 10) wanted Buffy as a T-X. So that's why I made Buffy a T-X.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Halloween**

Ethan's was a musty, run-down shop, stocked with every kind of costume imaginable. The place was also packed with kids doing last minute costume shopping. Buffy followed Willow, she wished she hadn't agreed to let Willow pick out her costume. She wanted something that would impress Angel.

"What did you find?" Buffy asked as her younger sister came running up to her.

Dawn held up a package that showed a person with a large white ghost sheet - complete with eye holes, a ghostly smile and the word BOO stenciled on it. "I'm going to be a ghost."

"Okay," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. She knew Dawn was only going trick or treating for the free candy.

"Ah here we go," Willow said as she stopped in front of a display. There she found two costumes that had come from a recently released television series. "These will do perfectly."

Buffy looked at the costume Willow handed to her. She noticed it came with a gun. "Will. I would rather not have a costume with a gun."

Willow smiled as she took the other one. "Fine Buffy, I'll take the gun. But that's the costume your wearing."

Just then Xander walked over to them. He was still a little sore at Buffy for her saving him when Larry was about to hit him.

"Hey Xander. What did you get?" Willow asked.

Xander opened his shopping bag and pulled out a cheesy orange plastic machine gun.

"That's not a costume," Buffy said.

Xander nodded. "I've got some fatigues from the Army surplus at home. Call me the two dollar costume king, baby."

"Hey, Xander, about this morning. I'm really sorry—" Buffy said.

Xander frowned. "Do you mind, Buffy? I'm trying to repress."

"I promise I'll let you get pummeled from now on," Buffy said.

"Thank you," Xander said as he released his anger. "Okay. Actually, I think I could have—"

"Buffy! I want to go," Dawn said.

Buffy sighed. "I couldn't get you guys to take Dawn off my hands tomorrow night?"

"Sure, I'll do it Buffy," Willow said.

That night Buffy looked at the costume, other than the plastic gun Willow had taken with her, the costume looked nice. Not really much different than clothes she might normally wear. The main part of the costume was in the makeup and temporary tattoos that were design to make it look like there was a robot beneath the skin.

"Buffy?" Dawn said from Buffy's door as she turned to face her sister. "How come I can't go with you tomorrow night?"

"You really want me to go with you tomorrow night?" Buffy asked. "I might steal your candy."

"Good point," Dawn said.

The next night Buffy watched as a group of trick or treaters came up to her, looking dejected.

"What'd Mrs. Davis give you?" Buffy asked as the kids all opened their hands, revealing brand new toothbrushes. "She must be stopped. Let's hit one more house. We still have a few minutes before we've got to get back."

On Mrs. Parker's porch Willow stood with her group next to Dawn as the front door opened, revealing the smiling face of Mrs. Parker.

"Trick or treat!" The kids said.

Mrs. Parker smiled. "Oh my goodness. Aren't you adorable!"

Down the street Buffy ushered her group down the block as a gust of wind sent a chill down her back. She stopped as if she sensed something was not quite right.

Back at Mrs. Parker house Mrs. Parker looked in the plastic pumpkin she held, a look of concern crossing her features. "Oh, dear. Am I all out? I could have sworn I had some candy left –" She looked at one of the kids. "I'm sorry, Mr. Monster. Maybe I—"

Her words are silenced by the death grip of a gargoyle that had been seconds before one of the kids.

"Let her go!" Willow said as she moved to help.

"Willow," Dawn said as she gasped out.

Willow looked at Dawn who was gasping for breath. Behind her the transformed kids attacked each other as Mrs. Parker scrambled back into her house, slamming the door behind her.

"Dawn?" Willow asked as Dawn crumbled to the porch as her body went limp, lifeless. "Dawn?"

Down the street Buffy stood immobile.

* * *

_SYSTEMS CHECK... PROCESSING_

_SYSTEMS... ONLINE AND FUCTIONING AT 100%_

_0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0_

_QUERY: UNIT CURRENT LOCATION?_

_GPS SYSTEMS ONLINE_

_SCANNING FOR GPS SATELLITE SYSTEMS... LOCATED_

_UNIT CURRENT LOCATION: SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, NORTH AMERICA_

___0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0_

_QUERY: MISSION PARAMETERS?_

_DISPLAYING MISSION PARAMETERS..._

___0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0_

_PRIMARY OBJECTIVE... LOCATE AND IDENTIFY PRIMARY SUBJECT_

_PRIMARY SUBJECT... JOHN CONNOR_

_PRIMARY DIRECTIVE... INSURE SURVIVAL_

_SECONDARY DIRECTIVE... PROTECT_

___0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0_

_SECONDARY OBJECTIVE... LOCATE AND IDENTIFY SECONDARY SUBJECT_

_SECONDARY SUBJECT... DAWN MARIE SUMMERS_

_PRIMARY DIRECTIVE... INSURE SURVIVAL_

_SECONDARY DIRECTIVE... PROTECT_

___0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0_

_TERTIARY OBJECTIVE... SEARCH AND TERMINATE_

_TERTIARY SUBJECT... GLORIFICUS_

_PRIMARY DIRECTIVE... PROTECT DAWN SUMMERS FROM GLORIFICUS_

_SECONDARY DIRECTIVE... TERMINATE GLORIFICUS_

* * *

Cameron looked blinked as she reviewed everything and started off to find John Connor and Dawn Summers.

On Mrs. Parker's porch, John Connor looked around trying to think of where he was. He had been sitting with mom moments earlier. And now he was standing on someone's front porch. How did he get here? And where was here?

Dawn slowly sat up, emerging from her _dead_ body, which remained unmoving on the ground. "Willow?" she said as she noticed her feet sticking out of the ghost sheet. Dawn had become a real live ghost.

John looked around him when he heard the girl's voice and looked down, what he saw sent his eyes wide and he backed away. "W—what are you?"

"Willow?" Dawn said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her eyes were wide with fear. What had happened? How had she become a ghost? Was she really dead? "What's wrong with me?"

"Why do you keep calling me Willow?" John asked. "My name is John, John Connor."

Even though Dawn had never seen the Terminator movies or the new TV series. She recognized the name since she had asked Willow who her sister's best friend was going as.

"You're Willow," Dawn said. "You're my sister's best friend. You're mine, too."

John looked at Dawn and shook his head. And that was when he noticed something was different as a strand of red hair flew in front of his eyes. He grabbed some of his hair and noticed it was indeed red. Two things immediately struck him. The first he didn't have red hair, his hair was black. The second it wasn't that long, he always kept his hair cut short. He looked down and as he did his eyes went wide. What he saw was enough to make him stagger back in shock. He was now a woman.

Before John had time to deal with that revelation he and Dawn heard the sound of machine gun fire as they turned their heads and saw Xander backing across the street, looking around him in silent panic.

"Xander!" Dawn said as she got up and ran across the street momentarily forgetting her body. Luckily John didn't as he picked up her body and then turned and followed her, shaking his head the entire time.

Xander whipped around and pointed a gun right at Dawn.

"Xander, it's me," Dawn said. "Buffy's sister, Dawn."

Xander cautiously lowered the gun a little. "I don't know any Dawn."

"Oh now," Dawn said. "Not you two."

"Soldier," John said. "Identify yourself."

"Reese, Kyle," Xander said. Sergeant/Tech-Com, DN38416..."

John frowned. He knew what his father looked like. His mother had managed to find a picture of him from police files years after he had been born. "You are not Kyle Reese."

"What are you talking about?" Kyle said.

"I know what Kyle Reese looks like, he's my father."

Kyle looked at John confusion on his face. "Father? I have no kids. I was sent back in time to insure the safety of Sarah Connor."

"My mother," John said.

"That's not possible, ma'am," Kyle said. "Sarah Connor had only one child, a son. John Connor."

John sighed. "Looking I'm John Connor. How I wound up as a woman I don't know." He looked at Dawn. "Do you ghost girl?"

Dawn shook her head. "Sorry. I don't know either. But I know you're not John," she said. "Your name is Willow." She looked at Kyle. "And you're, Xander."

Just then Dawn spotted Cameron and ran over to her as she was approaching them. "Buffy! Am I glad to see you!"

"Dawn Summers?" Cameron said. "You must come with me if you want to live."

John frowned as he recognized the line that the Terminator had given him and his mother when it had come back from the future to protect him. "Who reprogrammed you?" he asked as he walked over to Dawn and Cameron.

"I was reprogrammed by John Connor and Dawn Summers. I was sent back to protect them," Cameron said.

John looked at Dawn and then at Cameron. "What series are you?"

"I am a T-X," Cameron said.

"I am unfamiliar with that series," John said. "Despite what I currently look like I am John Connor and this is Kyle Reese." He waved at Xander who had been listening.

Dawn nodded. "Something crazy is happening," she said. "I was dressed as a ghost for Halloween and now I am a ghost. Xander, you were supposed to be a soldier and somehow became this Kyle Reese. Willow you told me that you and Buffy did a theme. You were going as someone named John Connor and Buffy was going as someone named Cameron."

"And you expect us to believe that?" Kyle asked.

"I know, Cameron," John said. "She was sent back to protect me. But Cameron was a T-900. Not a T-X." **_(A/N 1)_**

Just then a little vampire emerged from the bushes as Xander aimed at it.

"No!" Dawn said. "That could be another kid like me!"

"She has a point," John said. "Till we figure out what is going on here. We should not risk hurting anyone. She could be right that we are these people and not who we seem to be."

"My house," Dawn said, "is not too far away. We could go there so you guys can figure out what's going on."

"We should get off the street," Cameron said as Dawn led them down the street.

The back door of the Summers home opened as Dawn rushed in followed by John, Cameron and Kyle.

Kyle closed the door and looked out the window. "I think we're clear."

"Mom, I'm home!" Dawn yelled out but received no response. "She must be still at the gallery."

A violent pounding on the front door startles them all as Kyle started with the others right behind him.

"Don't open it!" John said as he sat the girl's body onto the couch in the living room.

"It could be a civilian," Kyle said.

"That is an order, Reese," John said.

In the dining room Dawn noticed that Cameron was looking at a picture. "That's you, me and mom," Dawn said. "Don't you remember, Buffy?"

"You're sister, if my files are correct," Cameron said. "I was programmed with her form so that I could show you a face you would recognize."

"No," Dawn said. "You're, Buffy. You're my sister."

In the living room, "Do you think it's a wise idea to bring a long the Terminator?" Kyle asked.

"Terminator's can be reprogrammed, Kyle," John said. "My future self, reprogrammed and sent a T-850 back a few year ago to protect me when a T-1000 was sent back."

"T-850, T-1000, T-X?" Kyle said. "How far forward are you from? And how far forward do you think she is. The only Terminator series we know of is the T-800 and earlier."

"I'm from about 16 years in the future from the point you were sent to protect my mom," John said. "I would assume the Terminator is from further ahead than that."

Just then the pounding started again as Kyle looked out the window of the door again. Suddenly a hand smashed through the window grabbing him by the throat as he jumped back.

"Warning shot only," John said

Kyle nodded as he stuck his gun out the window and fired above the head of the thing that had grabbed him scaring it off. Just then they heard someone scream. He looked out the window. "Civilian," he said.

"Go," John said as Kyle burst out the door. A moment later Kyle returned with Cordelia.

"Cordelia, right?" Dawn asked.

"What's going on?" Cordelia asked.

"Not sure," Dawn said. "But you do remember your Cordelia right?"

"Yes," Cordelia said. "So what's going on? I was just attacked by Jo-Jo the dogfaced boy. Look at my costume! Think Party-Town's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely."

"Not sure what is going on," Dawn said. "But Willow, Xander and Buffy don't remember who they are. And it seems I'm a ghost."

Cordelia looked at Dawn as if to say yeah right.

Dawn sighed and walked through Cordelia and over to the couch and motioned toward her body. "I seem to have become a ghost."

Cordelia noticed a particularly big rip up the side of her costume as Kyle took his jacket off and draped it around her. "Here," he said.

"Thanks," Cordelia said.

"Okay, I think it might be time to get help," Dawn said. She looked to Cameron. "Do you know where my sister would have gone for situations like this?"

Cameron nodded. "The High School."

Dawn nodded and started for the door as John moved in front of her. "You maybe a ghost here," he said. "But we don't know if there isn't something that can't hurt you out there."

"Then maybe someone should come with me?" Dawn suggested as she looked at Cameron.

"I will go with her," Cameron said as John opened the door. She followed Dawn out of the house leaving John and Kyle alone with Cordelia and Dawn's body.

"We should barricade ourselves in," John said. "Till we hear from the Terminator and ghost girl."

Dawn led Cameron across town. Every time a kid sized demon approached them, Cameron scared it off. Dawn had asked Cameron not to do anything to harm them. Cameron had complied. Dawn and Cameron found Giles at the card catalog. He looked up at them when he heard the doors close behind them.

"Mr. Giles," Dawn said. "Hi. Uhm …"

"I am a T-X series Terminator," Cameron said. "We have come to you because of something that you might be able to help us with."

"Buffy, why are you talking like that?" Giles asked.

"She's not Buffy," Dawn said. "Not right now at least. Just like I'm a ghost."

"A ghost?" Giles asked, skeptical.

Dawn sighed as she passed her hand through the wall next to her. "Yeah I think everyone became their costumes. Maybe not everyone. Cordelia didn't become hers."

"Cordelia?" Giles said.

"Cordelia Chase," Cameron said.

"She did not change into her costume?" Giles asked. "Dawn do you know where she got hers?"

"She said Party Town," Dawn said.

"And yours and Buffy's?" Giles asked.

"Buffy said we were going to a new place. Ethan's I think," Dawn said.

"Do you remember where?" Giles said as Dawn nodded.

Giles drove Dawn and Cameron to the costume shop. They noticed that the front of the shop was dark. "Whatever you two do, follow my lead," he said as led them inside. "Hello? Is anyone in?"

They made their way through and into the back room as they searched for the proprietor of the shop.

"Mr. Giles," Dawn as she spotted a bust of some person.

Giles followed Dawn's gaze and looked at the statue. "That's Janus, a Roman mystical God."

"What does it mean?" Dawn asked.

"Primarily, it represents the division of self. Male and female. Light and dark—" Giles said.

"Chunky and creamy style. No, sorry. That's peanut butter," Ethan said as he stepped from the shadows, smiling at Giles.

Giles stepped in front of Dawn and Cameron, never taking his eyes off Ethan. "Dawn go with Buffy, now."

"But –" Dawn started to protest.

"NOW, Dawn," Giles said.

Dawn bolted as Cameron followed her outside. They hadn't made it very far when they ran into a man. Dawn recognized him from Buffy's parent/teacher night the month before as Spike. She looked over at Cameron.

"Well, well, Slayer," Spike said.

Cameron's heads up display showed that Spike's body temperature too be sixty-two point three degrees Fahrenheit. She searched the memory files she had for Buffy Summers and came to the conclusion this was a vampire. She morphed her arm as she raised it to point it at Spike. "You have been terminated, vampire." Suddenly a jet of fire spewed forth from the transformed arm at Spike who caught on fire and dusted.

As Cameron morphed her arm back to normal, Dawn disappeared. It was then that Cameron suddenly remembered who she was, Buffy.

"Dawnie?" Buffy called out looking around for her sister. "Dawnie where are you?" Behind her Giles stepped out of the store.

"Buffy?" Giles said.

Buffy looked at Giles. "Dawn's missing. And I think something is wrong."

"Okay, we'll find Dawn," Giles said as they walked down the street to his car. "What do you think is wrong?"

"I think I'm still a Terminator," Buffy said.

"A Terminator?" Giles said. "You mentioned that in the library. What is that?"

"A Terminator is a type of Hunter-Killer designed to terminate other life forms," Buffy said as she accessed files through her internal heads up display. "Terminators are built by an artificially intelligent computer called Skynet, in order to wipe out the remains of humanity after Judgment Day. I'm basically an assassin type robot."

Giles stopped and looked at Buffy. "You are a robot now?" he asked.

Buffy nodded as she raised an arm and it morphed into the flamethrower. "Pretty much," she said as she fired the flamethrower, sending out a jet of fire. "And that is just one of my many weapons."

Giles eyes went wide as Buffy touched his shoulder. Then he watched her morph into duplicate of himself.

"A robot," the Buffy-Giles said. "A very advanced one at that." She morphed her form back to normal. "I guess you could say I've become the ultimate Slayer."

"Right," Giles said as he stood there going over the ramifications of Buffy being no longer human. Had the Slayer line passed on or had it ended with Buffy's metamorphosis from human to machine?

"Buffy!" came a yell as they turned to see Willow, Xander and Dawn running toward them.

Buffy wrapped her arms around sister seconds before a display flashed across her display:

* * *

_UPDATING OBJECTIVES_

_PRIMARY OBJECTIVE... LOCATE AND IDENTIFY PRIMARY SUBJECT_

_PRIMARY SUBJECT... JOHN CONNOR – DOES NOT EXIST. CHANGING PRIORITY OBJECTIVE TO WILLOW ROSENBERG_

_PRIMARY DIRECTIVE... INSURE SURVIVAL_

_SECONDARY DIRECTIVE... PROTECT_

___0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0_

_SECONDARY OBJECTIVE... LOCATE AND IDENTIFY SECONDARY SUBJECT_

_SECONDARY SUBJECT... DAWN MARIE SUMMERS_

_PRIMARY DIRECTIVE... INSURE SURVIVAL_

_SECONDARY DIRECTIVE... PROTECT_

___0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0_

_TERTIARY OBJECTIVE... SEARCH AND DESTROY_

_TERTIARY SUBJECT... GLORIFICUS_

_PRIMARY DIRECTIVE... PROTECT DAWN SUMMERS FROM GLORIFICUS_

_SECONDARY DIRECTIVE... TERMINATE GLORIFICUS_

* * *

Buffy looked down at Dawn for a moment as she wondered who this Glorificus was. She could have sworn for a second she had heard a female voice in her mind that stated.

_"Glorificus is a Hell God"_

"Buffy?" Xander said noting the look on Buffy's face.

"I'll tell you tomorrow," Buffy said. "I have to get Dawn home."

The next morning at Sunnydale High, Buffy walked down the hallway leading to the library looking at the students around her who had no idea she was no longer human. She let out a sigh. At least now she didn't have to worry about dying from a vampire. But it also meant she could no longer have children. Not that she had thought much about having children. She was only sixteen going on seventeen after all. Children would have been down the road if she had lived that long.

She walked into the library and saw that Xander, Willow and Giles were waiting for her.

"I filled them in on what you showed me," Giles said.

Buffy smiled at Giles in appreciation.

"So you're really a Terminator now?" Xander asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah," she said. She let out a sigh. "I looked over several files last night, since I pretty much no longer have to sleep. Willow it seems while our costumes matched. Something happened and I think I may have come from an alternate world compared to your John."

"I was wondering that myself," Willow said. "John had said that Cameron was a T-900 not a T-X.

"He may have been right about his Cameron," Buffy said. "But I'm not, I'm a T-X. I have two primary objectives. The first was insuring the survival of John Connor. The second was insuring the survival of Dawn Summers."

"What?" Willow and Xander said.

"It seems in the reality that my Cameron came from. My baby sister was John's second in command," Buffy said. "That's not all. The moment the spell ended one of the primary objectives updated itself. I assume it's a result that I knew that the show our costumes were based off of was one of fiction. Anyways it now has me insuring your survival, Willow. I don't know why."

"I think I do," Willow said. "I still have John's memories."

"As I have Kyle's," Xander said.

"I half expected that might be the reason," Buffy said. "Dawn even was affected."

"But she's no longer a ghost," Willow said.

"That's right," Buffy said. "She seems to have gained the ability to phase through walls and stuff like a ghost would. But she's still alive."

"Kind of like Kitty Pride," Xander said as everyone looked at him. "X-Men comics. She can phase through solid matter."

"So you have weapons that can help you as a Slayer," Giles said. "You have information literally at your fingertips. Does these primary objectives tell you why you have to protect Willow and Dawn?"

"No on Willow," Buffy said. "Willow I think is just a replacement since she has John's memories. Dawn on the other hand yes. Sometime in the next few days, weeks or years someone named Glorificus will come after her. That's my third objective. Protect Dawn from Glorificus and then terminate Glorificus. I'm still reading through files so I don't know exactly why. But I do know this. This Glorificus is a Hell God."

Xander, Willow and Giles looked at each other, a look of shock mirrored on each of their faces.

* * *

**Author's Note:** _A/N 1_ – Cameron's Series Number. There is some discrepancy on what series she is. One Reviewer says she is a T-888, Terminator Wikia lists her as a T-900 and another reviewer lists her as a Tok-715. The Tok listing came from an ad for the show, if I remember right. But there is NO mention anywhere in the show of what she is. So there is some question on the correct series number. I went ahead and used T-900 for simplicity sake.

Please do not keep sending reviews in stating she is this series number or that series number. I actually did research to try and find out her series number before I started this chapter. And as I said her series number is not mentioned anywhere in the series. As far as Canon is concerned any of the series numbers could be correct or none of them. We don't know. So again I used T-900 for simplicities sake.


	2. Chapter 2: Lie to Me

**Chapter 2: Lie to Me**

Since Buffy had become a Terminator she had started getting better grades in school. Buffy had to wonder if it was cheating to use her now superior brain from the future like this. Not that she could truly stop herself from using it without shutting herself down. Besides having the superior brain helped her have more time to fulfill her primary and second objectives, insuring Willow and Dawn's survival. And for that she went out nightly and patrolled. Things had simmered down a little after she had dusted Spike. Still she wasn't letting her guard down though.

"You're just gonna have to trust me, Rupert," Jenny Calendar said as she and Giles walked down the halls of Sunnydale High.

Giles nodded. "All right. I put myself in your hands."

Jenny smiled. "Now that sounds like fun."

"Hey guys," Buffy said as she approached them.

"I gotta take off," Jenny said. "Tomorrow, 7:30. Right?"

"Yes," Giles said as Jenny walked leaving Buffy and Giles alone. "Did you patrol last night?"

Buffy nodded. "Did a couple of quick sweeps, you know, downtown."

"No encounters?" Giles asked.

"Nothing vampiry," Buffy said.

"Well, I've been researching our new friend Spike…" Giles said.

"Did I forget to tell you?" Buffy said. "I dusted him, Halloween night. Moments before you ended the spell."

"Oh," Giles said.

"Sorry," Buffy said. "All that stuff you know about me not being you know anymore. I just forgot."

"It's alright, Buffy," Giles said. "Well, why don't you take the night off?"

"I don't need to," Buffy said as they moved into the library. "Since I'm like awake twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I don't require sleep anymore."

"Buffy, your body may not require sleep," Giles said. "But your mind is another thing entirely. With everything you went through last week. You need to remember you are still human underneath it all. You still have a human soul buried under the machine. So take the night off. Maybe spend time with Dawn and your mom."

"Giles there is something else," Buffy said. "Last night I was going through some of the files and I found … When future John and future Dawn reprogrammed this body. They not only programmed in their Buffy's likeness. But also her memories. Memories of their world of course but memories that led up to her death in 2029 just before they sent the Terminator back."

Giles nodded and let out a sigh. "You just have to remember Buffy. That their Buffy is not you."

"I know," Buffy said. "I'm wondering though what should I do with these memories?"

"I would do nothing," Giles said. "There is no guarantee our world will turn out like theirs. Especially when the reasons their world was almost destroyed don't as far as we know exist in our world."

"Okay," Buffy said. "One last thing. I want to tell mom."

"Buffy," Giles said. "Now with you being the Slayer, or at least having been the Slayer, it would have been difficult at best to inform her of your responsibilities. It would have placed her in jeopardy. Knowing you are no longer human would be worse. She might look at you as if you were no more than a thing. No I think it best she not know."

"How about just the Slayer stuff," Buffy said. "I can protect her far easier now. Besides according to the other Buffy's memories. She found out anyways."

Giles sighed. "Alright. Have her see me and we'll talk to her together. But no revealing you're not human."

"Okay," Buffy said. She left the library and headed for her next class.

_"Do not worry. She will accept you."_

Buffy stopped and looked around. In the last week that had been the second time she had heard the voice inside her head. She shook her head and walked into the classroom, sitting next to Willow. She only half listened to the lecture as the class went on. Of course half listening didn't mean much she could not be listening at all and still know what was being said. The joys of being a machine allowed her to multitask like she never had before.

"I just don't see why everyone is always ragging on Marie Antoinette. I can so relate to her. She worked really hard to look that good. People don't appreciate that effort," Cordelia said. "And I know, the peasants were all depressed."

"I think you mean _oppressed_," Xander said.

Buffy had looked at the files that stored her weapons and at various history files. At that moment she had open a file she never thought she would find in a machine with a liquid exterior, especially a Terminator that was built to kill. Sexuality.

"Whatever. They were cranky. So they're like, _let's lose some heads now_. Oh, that's fair. And Marie Antoinette cared about them. She was gonna let them have cake!" Cordelia said.

Buffy wondered why it was that file was there as she read it. She had quickly found out that she had was no longer attracted to Angel. And that had brought about the line of thought about being a Terminator which meant another thing that had been taken from her. Which led her to reading a file that she didn't understand the reason for being there. She decided to activate the program attached to it saw what happened.

"Well, that's one way to look at it …" the Teacher said as the bell rang.

Buffy followed by Willow and Xander exited into the hall.

"You looked like you were distracted," Willow said.

"You know that's not possible," Buffy said. "My nice little computer brain can multitask several things at once."

"That's probably true," Willow said. "You still looked distracted. What were you doing?"

"Did you know that I have a program for sexuality?" Buffy asked.

"Really?" Xander said as both girls slapped him on the arm.

"Down Xander," Willow said. "No I or rather John wasn't aware. But you have to remember my John is not your John either. Mine was only sixteen years old."

"Xander?" Buffy said.

Xander shook his head. "While Kyle was from that time period. He was a soldier, not someone who reprogrammed the Terminators. Besides he was from a time period before they started sending the Terminators back to protect John."

Buffy sighed and nodded. "I guess I will find out. I turned it on."

"Was that a good idea?" Willow asked. "You don't know what it might have done."

"Willow," Buffy said. "I can't even feel emotions now. If this helps me feel anything. I …"

"Hey anyone up for a dance party at the Bronze tonight?" Xander asked, changing the subject. Neither Buffy nor Willow answered him. "Okay, moping at the Bronze?"

"I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice … but maybe she's over that phase."

Buffy turned to face the voice that had spoken. "Ford?"

Ford smiled and gave Buffy a big friendly hug. "Hey, Summers. How you been?"

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked. Before he even answered a file had popped up marked Ford. She frowned as she read it.

The file said simply: TERMINATE!

"Matriculating," Ford said.

"Huh?" Buffy asked.

Ford smiled. "I'm finishing out my senior year at Sunnydale High. Dad got transferred."

"That's great," Buffy said as she glanced at Willow and Xander.

"I'm glad you think so. Wasn't sure you'd remember me," Ford said.

"Remember you? Duh, we were in school together for seven years. You were my giant fifth grade crush. Remember," Buffy said.

"So, you two know each other?" Xander asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Buffy said. "This is Ford. Uh, Billy Fordham. This is Xander and Willow."

"Hi," Xander said.

"Hey," Ford said with a nod.

Willow smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Ford and I went to Hemery together, in L.A," Buffy said. "And you're here? For real?"

Ford nodded. "Dad got the transfer, boom – just dragged me out of Hemery and put me down here."

"This is great! I mean, It's hard, sudden move, all your friends, delicate time very emotional but let's talk about me this is great!" Buffy said.

"So you guys were sweeties in fifth grade?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Not even. Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Well, I was a manly sixth grader, couldn't be bothered with someone that young," Ford said.

"It was terrible. I moped over you for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyls song, _I touch myself_. Of course, I had no idea what it was about," Buffy said.

"It's fun to meet someone who knew Buffy from before she was the -" Willow said as Buffy stared at her. "—the here-being girl."

"Yeah, it's fun," Xander said, less than enthused.

"Hey! Are you busy tonight?" Buffy said.

"I'm hoping you'll tell me that I am," Ford said.

Buffy nodded. "We're going to the Bronze. It's the local club and you gotta come."

"I'd love to, but if you guys had plans—would I be imposing?" Ford asked.

"Only in the literal sense," Xander said.

Buffy nodded. "You're coming. I have spoken."

"Okay, then. I gotta find the admissions office, get my papers in order," Ford said.

"I'll see you later," Buffy said as Ford walked away. She grabbed her friends when Ford was out of sight and dragged them to the library. "Giles!"

Giles came out of his office and approached the trio. "Yes, Buffy."

"I just saw an old friend from Hemery in L.A. When I looked at him a file popped up with only one thing inside. A command—terminate," Buffy said.

"This is not good," Giles said as Willow and Xander shared a look.

"Why would you have an order to terminate him?" Willow asked.

"I'm not sure," Buffy said. "I'll have to dig through the other Buffy's memories and see if there was something I may have overlooked."

"Buffy," Giles said. "You have to remember the other Buffy's memories may not be like what happens in this world. So you have to take what you find with a grain of salt."

"I know, Giles," Buffy said.

That night Buffy entered the Bronze spotting Ford, Willow and Xander almost immediately as she made her way to them. "Hey, you got here."

Ford nodded. "Wasn't that hard to find."

"Buffy, Ford was just telling us about the ninth grade beauty contest. And the, uh, swimsuit competition?" Willow said.

"Oh, God. Ford! Stop that! The more people you tell about it, the more people I have to kill," Buffy said.

"You can't touch me, Summers. I know all your darkest secrets," Ford said.

Xander smirked. "Care to make a small wager on that?"

"I'm gonna grab a soda. Ford, try not to talk," Buffy said. While she didn't actually need to eat or drink anymore. Around everyone else she had to keep up appearances that she was human. She made her way to the bar where she bumped into Angel. "Hey."

"Hey. I was hoping you'd show," Angel said.

"Angel," Buffy said. "We're going to have to talk about the stuff that went on Halloween. Things have changed. And there is some information I need to impart."

"Alright," Angel said. "Swing by my place tomorrow?"

"I will," Buffy said.

"Buffy, while you're here, I wanted warn you," Angel said. "There is a vampire named Drusilla in town. She was Spike's sire. Completely deranged. She was out last night looking for Spike. Have you seen him?"

"Dusted, Halloween night," Buffy said.

Angel nodded. "Okay. Just be careful around Drusilla, then."

"I will," Buffy said.

Buffy grabbed a drink and returned to Willow, Xander and Ford. Behind her walked up Angel.

"Hey, Angel," Willow said.

"Hi," Ford said.

Buffy smiled and turned to face Ford and Angel. "This is Ford. We went to school together in L.A."

"Nice to meet you," Angel said as he shook Ford's hand.

"Whoa," Ford said. "Cold hands."

Xander nodded. "You're not wrong."

"So, you're visiting Buffy?" Angel asked.

"No, I'm actually here to stay. Just moved down," Ford said.

Buffy glanced at Angel, silently begging him to drop it.

"Well, Sunnydale is a fun town to live in. If you're a small patch of moss," Xander said.

"Angel, do you want to sit?" Willow asked.

"It's so crowded in here. I'm hot," Buffy said. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Uh, sure. That'd be nice," Ford said as Angel stepped back for them to pass.

"I'll see you all tomorrow," Buffy said as she looked at Angel pointedly.

"Good night," Angel said.

"Take care," Ford said as he and Buffy left. They walked outside and down the alley. "So, that was your boyfriend?"

"No," Buffy said.

"So, what else do you do for fun around here?" Ford asked.

Just then Buffy heard a scuffle around the corner. She grabbed Ford. "Um, Uh, my purse! I left it at the Bronze. Would you get it for me? Thanks."

Ford nodded. "Uh, okay."

"Good. Run. Thanks," Buffy said as he started off. She turned and ran around the corner. She grabbed a woman and gently threw her back away from the vampire. "Run." The woman nodded and took off as she raised her hand and it morphed into a flame thrower. She fired a jet of fire and the vampire dusted.

"You're not human."

Buffy turned to face Ford as her arm morphed back to normal. "Oh! You're back."

"How? We've known each other for years. How?" Ford said.

"It's a long story," Buffy said with a sigh. "Why don't we share. Why are you really in Sunnydale? And don't tell me it's to move here."

"I'm dying," Ford said. "I look good, don't I? Let me tell you something. I got maybe six months left and by then what they bury won't even look like me. It'll be bald and shriveled and it'll smell bad. Not human. I don't want to go out that way."

Buffy nodded as a file opened and played the memory she had been looking for since Ford showed up that day. "You want to become a vampire."

"Yes," Ford said. "It's that or I'm dead, Buffy. I'd rather lose my soul then die. I'm scared. I'm …"

Buffy nodded as she understood the terminate command now. Termination for Ford was the easiest way out for him. "Problem is if you're turned I would have to come after you."

"I know," Ford said. "But that would give me the chance to get away. Then maybe I could go and live somewhere far away and we'd never cross paths again."

"You wanted to know what I am," Buffy said. "Why I'm no longer human. On Halloween night there was this guy. He was a witch or a magician or something. He cast this spell turning people into their costumes. Some of them stuck, most didn't. Mine stuck. Have you seen that new TV show, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles?"

"Yes," Ford said.

"My costume was the terminator from the show. Or was supposed to be anyways. I became her for the night. And when it was over, I was no longer human, but a machine," Buffy said. "But something changed. I didn't become the character from the show. I became like an alternate reality of her. A hybrid of the show and our own reality. You see I'm a Terminator that knows the next few years of at least my life and a few others. You got turned by a vampire that I've actually already dusted. And I dusted you when you rose the next night. When you showed up today, I didn't know that. I had only a file with a single command in it. Terminate."

Ford's eyes went wider and wider as Buffy explained what had happened to her and what she now was. He had seen the two Terminator movies as well as the first episodes of the new TV series. He understood what a Terminator could do and if it had a command to terminate it would. He turned to ran.

Something came over Buffy and it felt like she no longer had control over her body as her arm morphed into a plasma cannon and she pointed it at Ford.

"I'm sorry," Buffy could hear her voice say. "Truly I am." She fired the plasma cannon at Ford. The super-heated plasma hit him, burning him beyond recognition as he dropped to the ground dead. "I'm sorry."

As Buffy's hand morphed back to normal she felt control return to her. It then she noticed tears coming from her eyes and then a display flashed.

_Sexuality Now Activated_

_Emotions Subroutine Now Activated_

The next morning Buffy walked into the library. "Giles?" she called out.

"Here," he said as she turned toward the book cage.

"Giles," Buffy said as tears came to her eyes again.

Giles looked over at Buffy confused. "I thought you could no longer feel emotions?"

"I can now," Buffy said. "I started crying last night when I killed my friend, Ford. I found out why he was really here. He was dying. He hoped to turn me over to a vampire so that they'd make him one. He knew I was the Slayer from before I moved to Sunnydale. He had maybe six months to live. And then I told him what I had become. He got scared and he started to run. And then it felt like I had lost control of my body. My arm morphed into a plasma cannon, one of my weapons, and fired it. I could hear my voice telling him I was sorry. He was burned to a crisp as he fell to the ground dead."

Giles sighed. "Buffy, this is not the first time something like this has happened."

"It's not?" Buffy asked.

Giles shook his head. "A Slayer is on the front lines of a nightly war, Buffy. It's tragic—but accidents have happened."

"W—what do you do?" Buffy asked afraid of what his answer would be.

"The council investigates, meters out punishment if punishment is due ... I've no plan to involve them, however. Your situation is unique and they would not know how to tackle it. You are a human being trapped within a machine. Both the machine and the human are warring for control. It was inevitable that the machine would eventually win out," Giles said. "Now you know what it means to let the machine have its control. And you know not to let it do it again."

Buffy nodded and let out a sigh. "Yes."

Giles called Joyce and asked her to come to the school. He explained everything regarding the supernatural, and about the Slayer. Everything except Buffy being a Terminator now. The truth that Buffy was the Slayer was bad enough, Giles had surmised. He then proceeded to explain the events of last night. He lied and said that Buffy had witnessed a friend she had known in L.A. get killed by a vampire before she could stop it.

Through all of that Joyce listened with an open mind. Giles produced some evidence and while Joyce was not sure she hundred percent believed she had at least enough reasonable doubt to seek more answers. So Joyce walked her daughter out of the school, trying to comfort Buffy as best as she could.

Two days later the last rays of the sun glanced off the trees as Buffy stood at Ford's grave with Giles beside her.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say," Buffy said.

Giles shook his head. "You don't need to say anything."

"You know it's just, like, nothing's simple," Buffy said. "I'm always trying to work it out. Who to hate, or love … who to trust … it's like the more I know, the more confused I get."

"I believe that's called growing up," Giles said.

"I'd like to stop, then. Okay?" Buffy said.

Giles nodded. "I know the feeling."

"Well, does it ever get easy?" Buffy asked.

"You mean life?" Giles said.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Does it get easy?"

"What do you want me to say," Giles said.

Buffy thought about it for a moment and then something flashed across her vision.

_"Tell him you want him to lie to you_."

"Lie to me."

Giles nodded. "Yes. It's terribly simple. The good-guys are stalwart and true. The bad-guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats and we always defeat them and save the day. Nobody ever dies … and everybody lives happily ever after."

"Liar," Buffy said.

Something flashed across Buffy's vision on the heads up display.

_"I am sorry. I promise never to take control from you again, unless you say it's okay. I am learning what it means to be human and I see how difficult it can be. For that I am sorry."_

"Who are you?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy," Giles said with a look of concern.

Buffy didn't answer as something flashed across her vision.

_"My name is Cameron."_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Chapter 1 was edited and a couple things added.


	3. Chapter 3: The Dark Age

**Chapter 3: The Dark Age**

Loud, thumping dance music blared from a portable stereo as Buffy did a step-aerobic routine. Nearby, Giles attempted to read a book—both hands plastered over his ears. He brought one hand down to take a sip of tea.

"Must we have such noise during your calisthenics?" Giles shouted over the music.

"It's not noise, its music," Buffy said.

Giles shook his head. "I know music. Music has notes. This is noise."

"I'm aerobicizing. I must have the beat," Buffy said.

"Wonderful," Giles said. "You work on your muscle tone while my brains dribble out my ears."

"What muscle tone?" Buffy said. "I'm a machine, Giles. I'm doing it because it's part of our normal training routine. You know just something to do since I'm awake twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. It's actually boring pretending to sleep when I don't need to sleep."

"Right," Giles said as the song ended. He watched as Buffy turned off the stereo. "Ah. Very good. The rest is silence."

"I'm on a beach," Buffy said the next morning. "Not an American beach—one of those island beaches where the water is way too blue. It's just before sunset, I'm lying on a towel and Kate Winslet is massaging my feet."

"A girl?" Willow said.

"What?" Buffy said.

"You said Kate Winslet would be massaging your feet."

Buffy thought about it. "Oh my god, I'm a gay robot."

"You're a hot gay robot," Willow said before realizing what she had said. "I think something is wrong with us."

"Why?" Buffy asked.

"Because one … neither of us liked girls before. And two … For you it could be that program you activated. The sexuality one that is influencing you. And me it could be John's memories," Willow said.

_"The Sexuality program did not determine who we like, Buffy. We determined who we like. The program only awakened the possibility. Before the program was activated we didn't have the possibility of being sexually attracted to someone."_

Buffy nodded as she watched as Cameron's monologue flashed in front of her eyes. Over the course of the last two weeks, Buffy had gotten used to the heads up display always being there and to a degree ignored it. The thing she had not gotten used to, was the machine, Cameron, who was alive inside of her. Basically she shared the body with another person and it freaked her out a little.

"The sexuality program didn't determine who I liked, Will. It just awakened the possibility," Buffy said. "Before there was no possibility for me to be sexually attracted to someone.

"What are you guys talking about?" Xander asked.

"Sexuality," Buffy said as Willow blushed.

"Oh," Xander said as they approached Giles.

"Ah. There you are," Giles said as he fell in step with them.

"Morning," Buffy said.

"Tonight is a very important. There is a transport vehicle is delivering a supply of blood to the hospital," Giles said.

"Aha," Buffy said. "Vampire meals-on-wheels."

"Well, hopefully not. We should meet in front of the hospital at 8:30 sharp. I'll bring the weaponry," Giles said.

"Just bring enough for yourself," Buffy said.

"Yes, right," Giles said as he gave Buffy a stern look. "Don't be late."

"A physical impossibility," Buffy said.

"Right," Giles said as Jenny approached them, smiling.

"Morning, England," Jenny said.

_"We must tell Angel soon. That our sexual orientation has switched."_

"Hello, Ms... Jenny," Giles said.

"I know," Buffy muttered low enough no one heard her.

"Feel the passion," Willow said.

"Willow, Buffy—"

Willow coughed. "Coughing, not speaking."

"—you two are still on for tomorrow?" Jenny asked as both Buffy and Willow nodded.

"What's tomorrow?" Xander asked.

"I'm reviewing some computer basics with a couple of students who have fallen behind. Willow and Buffy are helping for extra credit," Jenny said.

"Hah! Those poor schlubs. Having to give up their Saturday—" Xander said.

Jenny smiled. "Nine a.m. okay with you, Xander?"

"You've got a bit of schlub on your shoe, there," Buffy said.

"So why are you going to be there? I never saw you as the extra credit type, especially in computers," Xander said.

"Cordelia is going to meet us," Jenny said.

"It's because of what I am now," Buffy said as Xander nodded in understanding.

"Hey, gang, did you hear that? A bonus day of class, plus Cordelia! A little rectal surgery and it would be the best day ever!" Xander said.

Jenny looked to Giles. "Walk me to class?"

"Pleasure," Giles said.

Jenny smiled. "Nice coat," she said as she and Giles head off down the hall just as the bell rang.

"Look at them," Buffy said.

Xander nodded. "A twosome of cuteness."

"Can't you just imagine them getting together?" Willow asked. She looked at Buffy. "I didn't know you were going to help for extra credit, tomorrow."

"I'm pretty much on my way to the honor roll now," Buffy said. "You know because of what I am now. I don't really need the extra credit it's more to pass the time since I don't need to sleep, eat, drink or nothing."

That night Buffy sat at the dining room table with her mother.

"Dawn!" Joyce yelled. "Dinner is ready."

"Coming," Dawn yelled back as she ran through the wall separating the dining room from the hall and stairwell.

Joyce sighed. "Dawn how many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" Ever since she and Giles had talked she had grown steadily more comfortable and had come to accept that her daughter was the Slayer and that someone's stupid idea of a prank had given her youngest daughter the power to walk through solid matter.

The thing that Dawn had found the most fun was to phase through was Buffy and Joyce. Buffy herself had hardly noticed it. But Joyce had felt a slight tingling sensation as Dawn had phased through her. Joyce had quickly put a stop to Dawn phasing through either herself or Buffy.

Dawn sighed. "What use is it to have this power if I can't use it?"

"Dawn," Joyce said. "What happened if someone who didn't know you had this power walked in and saw you running through solid objects?"

"Mom has a point, Dawn," Buffy said. "We can't go _revealing stuff_ to the outside world. If someone found out that we can do stuff other people can't. They might see us as a threat and come take us away from mom."

Dawn nodded. She knew was right that. It was after all one of the reasons why their mother still didn't know that Buffy was a Terminator. "Sorry," she said.

_"Maybe we should see if there is something she could do to be helpful?"_

Buffy sighed internally at Cameron's statement. Dawn was only eleven years old, and she didn't want to put her little sister in harms way.

_"Maybe she could help research. Not the physical aspects. Though her learning self-defense could help her regardless."_

Buffy nodded she knew Cameron had a point. Dawn was the most vulnerable because she was a child who was just entering her teenage years. At the very least she knew Dawn should at least learn self-defense. "Mom, I've been thinking. After school what if Dawn joined me for my training regime at the high school. It might be a good if she learned self-defense."

Joyce thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "That actually sounds like a good idea, Buffy. Not only because of what you face but the world beyond Sunnydale is not exactly safe. You can tell Mr. Giles that he has my permission to train Dawn in some self-defense techniques."

"Okay," Buffy said. "Speaking of which. I should be getting over to the hospital. I'm supposed to meet him there."

"Be safe," Joyce said as Buffy nodded.

Buffy had left for the hospital fifteen minutes later. She waited for Giles to come as she repeatedly checked the internal chronometer. After an hour of waiting Cameron spoke up.

_ "I checked the other you's memories. He's not coming."_

"Thanks, Cameron," Buffy said.

_"You're welcome, Buffy."_

Just then headlights washed across Buffy's face as she watched a van with _Medical Transport_ stenciled on the side pulled to a stop at the loading dock.

The driver got out and moved to a couple of interns, handing one of them a clipboard to sign. The other intern hefted a large ice chest out of the van as the driver, clipboard in hand got back in his van and drove off.

_"Is it normal for doctor's to accept deliveries?"_

Buffy thought about what Cameron had said and shook her head. "No." She watched as the interns moved past the back door picking up their pace, heading down the side of the building.

Buffy moved into action as her arm morphed into the flame thrower. She vaulted off the wall closing the gap.

One of the _Interns_ ripped off his stethoscope and pulled a blood bag out of the ice chest the other one carried. Buffy could see they're heading toward a car parked nearby.

_"There's another one."_

"I see him," Buffy muttered as the driver of the car got out.

"Hey, no sampling the product," the driver said.

The _intern_ ignored the driver as he bit into the bag. The other _intern_ growled at him.

Then a shadowy figure leapt on the first _intern_ from behind.

Buffy was about to fire her flame thrower when she recognized the shadowy figure. "Angel!"

"Buffy! Look out!" Angel shouted.

The driver rammed shoulder-first into Buffy, startled that she didn't move. Then he stumbled back as she did a full on exorcist twist of her head as the rest of her body turned to face the driver as well. She raised her arm and fired her flame thrower. The driver caught fire and dusted.

The _intern _dove for Buffy as she turned and fired her flame thrower, dusting him. The other _intern_ came at Angel who used his velocity to whip him around and send him towards Buffy.

"Incoming!" Angel said as Buffy fired her flame thrower dusting the other _intern_.

Angel looked shocked as Buffy's arm morphed back to normal. "How?"

Buffy sighed. "Let's drop that off so we can go someplace and talk."

They quickly dropped off the delivery of blood and made a quick excuse on why they had it. Then they headed for Angel's apartment where Buffy tried to explain the events of Halloween. "On Halloween things changed for me. Willow had talked me into doing a theme with her. So we got matching costumes. Her costume was supposed to be this kid from this television show that would grow up to become the person who would save the human race from extinction at the hands of a machine intelligence we had created. My costume was of a robot from the show. This guy cast a spell transforming everyone into their costumes. By the end of the night Giles had ended the spell. Most people reverted back. Some did not. My sister went as a ghost and can now walk through walls. Willow and Xander, they still have the memories. Me I didn't become human again."

"So you're some kind of robot now?" Angel said.

"More or less," Buffy said.

"And you have weapons you can use for Slaying?" Angel asked.

"Yes," Buffy said. "You saw one of them. I have many more. Most of them not really good for slaying though."

_"Tell him."_

"Cameron," Buffy muttered.

"Who's Cameron?" Angel asked.

"The ghost in the machine," Buffy said.

"The what?" Angel asked.

"I'm not alone in here," Buffy said tapping the side of her head. "When I changed back Cameron didn't go away. Since I'm a machine now that meant her personality got stored and eventually started communicating with me."

"Oh," Angel said.

_"Tell him."_

"I will, Cameron. But let me do it in my own way," Buffy said as Angel looked at her. "Sorry. She's getting a little impatient. Angel there is something I need to tell you. About me and about your curse."

"What about you and my curse?" Angel asked.

"First off the curse," Buffy said. "It has a clause in it. If you have one moment of true happiness, your soul goes away. I know this because when I became a machine I received memories, future memories of an alternate Buffy. That Buffy had sex with your alternate and he lost his soul."

"Oh," Angel said. "Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome," Buffy said. "That said we don't have to worry about my giving you your one moment of true happiness. I'm no longer in love with you. Since becoming a machine I found out that I no longer like boys in that way but girls."

"I see," Angel said. "Maybe then it's time I think about moving on."

"You don't have to," Buffy said. "We can still work together."

"With what you've become you no longer need me," Angel said.

"If that's what you feel you have to do," Buffy said. "I understand. If you ever need help."

"I'll call," Angel said. "Once I'm settled somewhere I will let you know how to reach me in case you have to do the same."

"Thanks," Buffy said. "I'm going to go check on Giles. He was supposed to meet me tonight. He didn't."

As Buffy walked to Giles apartment building. She thought about Angel and hoped he would be alright. She tried letting him down easy but she wasn't sure it had worked out alright. She spotted Giles apartment building ahead and noted as she entered it that his car was parked outside. She moved down the hall to Giles door as her Terminator enhanced hearing picked up Giles voice coming through the door.

"Are you certain she didn't leave a forwarding number? I've been on the phone for hours, this is a matter of life and –"

Buffy knocked on the door. She listened as footsteps approached and Giles opened the door a crack. He stared out at her. She saw that he was unshaven and looked a good deal more rumpled than she'd ever seen him.

"Buffy. It's late, are you all right?" Giles said.

"Kind of a rhetorical question isn't it," Buffy said.

"Right," Giles said.

"Anyways I was going to ask you the same thing," Buffy said.

Giles nodded. "Yes, fine. I'm afraid I'm rather busy. I'll see you Monday at school –" He tried to shut the door.

Buffy put her hand out and with a little force held the door open. "Giles, did you forget about the hospital? Vampires? Bags of blood in handy carry out packets?"

"Oh. Are you all right? Were you hurt?" Giles said.

"No," Buffy said. "Remember I'm harder to kill now. What's wrong?"

Giles shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong, I'm in the middle of an extremely important matter and I'm sorry but I'm just going to have to say good night now."

_"Ask him about Eyghon."_

"What's Eyghon?" Buffy asked as Giles stopped short.

_"Tell him it's here. Tell him it's killed Deirdre."_

"It's here," Buffy said. "It's killed Deirdre. Who's Deirdre?"

"A friend," Giles said. "This is a private matter. I ask that you let me handle it."

_"Tell him that it's just him and Ethan now."_

"The guy at the costume shop?" Buffy asked.

"What?" Giles said.

_"Yes."_

"It's just you and Ethan now," Buffy said. "Which by the way, why didn't you tell me you knew the guy from the costume shop."

"We're old friends," Giles said. He sighed. "Come in."

Buffy followed Giles into his apartment closing the door behind her.

Giles moved to the phone, "Sorry to keep you waiting. Thank you for your time." He turned to Buffy as he hung the phone. "I was studying history at Oxford and of course the occult by night. I hated it. The boring grind of school, the pressure of my _destiny_. So I dropped out. I went to London, fell in with the worst crowd that would have me. We practiced magicks. Small stuff, for pleasure or gain. And then Ethan and I discovered something a little bigger. We put one of us into a deep sleep and the others would summon him. It was an extraordinary high."

"So you did the mystical equivalent of cocaine or something," Buffy said.

"More or less," Giles said. "God, we were fools. One of us, Randall, he lost control. Eyghon took him whole. We tried to exorcise the demon from Randall, but it killed him. We killed him. We thought we were free of the demon after that."

Buffy nodded. "Tell me what you know, please, Giles. Don't shut me out."

Giles sighed. "Eyghon can only exist in this reality by possessing an unconscious host. The possession was always temporary as we would always observe the proper rituals. If the proper rituals had not been observed the possession would have become permanent, and Eyghon would have been born from within the host. Once called, Eyghon can also take possession of the dead, but its demonic energy soon disintegrates the host and it must jump to the nearest dead or unconscious person to continue living."

"How do we kill it?" Buffy asked.

"I do not know," Giles said.

"Okay. You do some research. Willow and I will told Ms. Calendar we'd help out in the morning with her computer tutorial. I'll swing by afterwards to check in," Buffy said.

Giles nodded. "Alright," he said as Buffy stood to leave. "And Buffy, thank you."

"You're welcome Giles," Buffy said.

The next morning Buffy strode into the computer classroom at Sunnydale High. "Sorry, I'm late," she said.

"It's alright, Buffy," Jenny said. "All right, the first thing we want to do is ..."

Just then they heard a crash come from the library and Buffy ran out of the classroom and into the library as a man tried to ran past her. She grabbed him by the shirt collar yanking him off his feet. She turned and looked into his face. "You. I should just let Eyghon have you. It's your fault I'm no longer human. What are you doing here?"

"Snooping around," Ethan said.

"Honesty. Nice touch," Buffy remarked.

Ethan smiled. "It's one of my virtues. Not really."

Just then Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Jenny came into the library.

"Hold him," Buffy said as she shoved Ethan toward Xander who grabbed him. Buffy moved to Giles phone and dialed. "Giles its Buffy. I've got Ethan here. What do you want me to do with him?"

"He's there with you?" Giles asked. "Buffy, listen to me. You're in great danger with Ethan there. I want you to put down the phone and get out of the library as quickly as possible."

"Is it because of Eyghon?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," Giles said. "It will likely go through you and anyone around you to get at him."

Suddenly someone crashed through the window in Giles' office as glass shattered and flew outwards. The man went for Ethan as Buffy put herself between Ethan and the man.

Buffy tried to roundhouse kicked the man, but it didn't seem to have much effect on him as he turned his wrath on her. She let the man back her towards the book cage. The man lunged at her as she ducked under his big arms and booted him into the cage, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

"I'm not getting close enough to feel his pulse, but I've gotta say he looks pretty dead," Willow said.

Xander nodded. "Except for the walking around and attacking Buffy part."

"He's dead," Ethan said. "Sorry, Philip. Really I am."

"You know him?" Buffy asked.

Ethan nodded. "Knew him."

"Hey, you don't speak until we tell you to speak," Cordelia said.

"Uh, Cordelia, I did tell him to speak," Buffy said as Giles rushed in.

"Is everyone all right?" Giles asked.

"We're okay," Jenny said.

"Dead guy there interrupted our tutorial," Xander said as he looked at Philip. "Been meaning to thank you for that."

Philip made a terrible sound in his throat as Xander took a giant step back.

Giles looked at Ethan, frowning. "I thought I told you to leave town."

"You did. I didn't. Shop's lease is paid through the end of the month," Giles said.

Cordelia turned to Xander. "Why'd he call him Ripper?"

Giles grabbed Ethan, roughly. "You should have left when I told you!"

"Oh," Cordelia said.

"You've put these people in danger. These are people I care about," Giles said.

Again Cordelia turned to Xander. "Wow, even me?"

Xander gave a quick shake of his head.

"If you care so much about them why didn't you leave town. I know you've been having the dreams, I have, we both know what's coming," Ethan said.

Giles glared at Ethan, and then let him go.

"Did you find anything on how to kill it?" Buffy asked.

"No," Giles said as Philip kicked open the cage door.

Philip hurled Jenny into a wall, causing her to hit her hand and fall to the ground unconscious.

"Jenny!" Giles said.

Ethan looked truly frightened of Philip and ran for the door. "Nooo!"

Willow and Cordelia scramble out of the way as Buffy punched and kicked Philip.

Xander slid a book cart behind Philip as Buffy stomped Philip into it.

Philip tripped back over the book cart and landed on the floor. As he stood he started to shake before he dissolved into goo.

"That's something you don't see every day," Willow said.

_"Move Ms. Calendar. NOW! Before the goo gets to her."_

"Giles, move Ms. Calendar," Buffy said as he looked up at her. "Before the goo can get to her."

Giles looked at the goo and quickly moved Jenny away from it.

"Everyone stay back," Buffy said as she morphed her arm into the flame thrower. "Xander get the fire extinguisher. I'm going to burn this stuff up."

Xander nodded and ran to grab a fire extinguisher. He came back ready as Buffy fired her flame thrower at the goo burning it up. He used the fire extinguisher then to put out the fire.

"That hopefully is the end of Eyghon," Buffy said as she morphed her arm back to normal. "And will someone explain what happened on Halloween to Cordelia. Her jaw is hanging open."

"I'll do it," Xander said as he led Cordelia from the room.

"Jenny?" Giles said as she began to come to.

"Ow..." Jenny said holding her hand to her head.

"Careful, careful. Can you stand?" Giles said.

"I think so," Jenny said as Giles helped her to her feet. "Here, lean on me." Jenny nodded as she leaned into Giles. "It'll be all right..."

"Promise?" Jenny asked.

"I promise," Giles said.

Jenny relaxed a little. "I believe you."

Giles looked at Buffy. "We'll talk on Monday."

"Okay," Buffy said.

Monday morning Xander, Buffy, and Willow walked toward Sunnydale High

"There is something I need to tell you guys," Buffy said. "You know how you John and Kyle disappeared when the spell ended for you guys?" Xander and Willow nodded. "For me Cameron didn't disappear."

"Cameron?" Xander asked. "Who's Cameron."

"The Terminator," Buffy said. "Since I'm a machine, Cameron became just another program when I took control."

"She became a ghost in the machine," Willow said.

"Exactly," Buffy said. "I can talk to her. She helped me to realize a few things. And this will make Xander happy. I'm no longer in love with Angel. In fact he's leaving town."

Xander smiled and did a small dance for joy.

Willow nodded as she looked at Buffy. She understood what Buffy was saying. Had been saying the day they were playing _Anywhere But Here_. She wasn't sure if it was John's memories or what, but when she looked at Xander she no longer had the crush on him that she had held since they were kids. When she looked at Buffy though …

They spotted Giles and Buffy excused herself from her friends as she walked over to her Watcher.

"Hello, Buffy," Giles said. "I was thinking we can do away with your training routine. You don't really need it anymore. Not since Halloween."

Buffy smiled. "I may not but Dawn does. Mom and I would like Dawn to learn self-defense. Not to deal with vampires or demons but to defend herself and hopefully get away if she were attacked."

Giles nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I could recommend several trainers."

"We'd like you to do it, personally," Buffy said.

"Alright," Giles said. "We'll do it after school during your normal afternoon sessions."

"Okay," Buffy said. "One other thing. Angel's leaving town, or already left. The reasons are not important. He told me that Spike's sire, Drusilla has been hanging around town since I dusted Spike."

Giles nodded. "When we learned about Spike I did some research. It was believed Drusilla was killed in Prague by an angry mob. But if she wasn't, she may be weak and trying to recuperate. It's doubtful she will prove much of a threat."


	4. Chapter 4: Ted

**Chapter 4: Ted**

Buffy walked along the street with Dawn, Xander and Willow as they approached her house. Buffy walked slightly apart, enjoying the night as her body's sensors fed her data. The sounds of the birds, the smell of the flowers, the smell of freshly mowed grass.

_"Isn't it a nice night, Buffy?"_

"You don't know what you're talking about," Xander said.

Buffy nodded. "It is Cameron," she muttered to herself.

"Xander, he was obviously in charge," Willow said.

_"Being a machine I never had the chance to experience the world the way you do. I am happy Mr. Rayne's spell did this to us. It gives me the chance to see the world through your eyes. And I've come to learn that Skynet was not right in its attempted extermination of the human race."_

"He was a puppet!" Xander said. "She was using him."

Buffy smiled. She could tell the Cameron had come a long way since she had first revealed herself to Buffy two weeks before.

"He didn't seem like the type to let himself be used," Willow said.

"Well, that was her genius. He never even knew he was playing second fiddle. Buffy," Xander said. "Cameron?"

_"Play ignorant. I'm currently scanning memory files on the subject Willow and Xander were discussing."_

"Huh?" Buffy said.

"Who do you two think was the real power—the Captain or Tenille?" Xander asked.

"Um ... who are those people?" Buffy asked.

"The Captain and Tenille!" Xander said as Buffy gave him her best blank look. "Boy, somebody was raised in a culture-free environment."

"I'm sorry, I was just –" Buffy said.

"Thinking?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Not thinking."

"Yeah, right," Willow said.

Buffy nodded. "When you have a computer brain, you're kind of thinking all the time," she said as she stepped onto her porch and pulled out her keys. As Xander and Willow stepped up behind her, Willow turned to Xander.

_"I can find no clear evidence who was really in charge of the group that Willow and Xander are discussing."_

"I'm just saying, if Tenille was in charge, she would have had the little captain hat," Willow said.

"Cameron said she can find no clear evidence on who in charge. I guess that means she has no opinion," Buffy said as she put the key to the lock on her front door, which swung open. "Wait here." She motioned with her eyes toward Dawn and Willow and Xander nodded.

Xander and Willow hung back as she stepped into the foyer, her arm morphing into the plasma cannon. Her eyes adjust to display infrared as she looked around the darkened foyer. She stepped into the living room and finding nothing. She turned and headed toward the dining room.

Suddenly she heard her mother's voice come from the kitchen. "No!" Then Buffy heard a crash and she ran for the kitchen.

"What are you ...? Don't ... oh ..." Joyce said as Buffy burst into the kitchen.

"Get the hell away from my –" Buffy said as she saw Joyce, wrapped in a deep romantic kiss. She noticed on the counter near her mother was a wine bottle and one half full wine glass. – mom?"

Joyce stepped away from the man she had been kissing as Buffy morphed her hand back to normal.

"I thought I heard ..." Buffy said.

"I broke a wine glass. So, you're home early..." Joyce said.

The man smiled, completely at ease. "Hi."

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Oh, uh, this is my eldest daughter, Buffy," Joyce said. "And Buffy, this is ... this is Ted."

Buffy heard Xander, Willow and Dawn come up behind her. She reached around and pulled Dawn to her protectively.

"And this is my youngest daughter, Dawn," Joyce said. "Dawn, this is Ted."

"Hi," Dawn said.

Joyce proceeded to sweep up the glass on the floor as Ted started cooking mini-pizzas. She moved to dump the glass into the trash.

"So all these late nights at the gallery, I gather you were cataloguing more than art," Buffy said.

"Well ... I've been looking for the right moment to introduce you two. He's a wonderful man," Joyce said as she glanced at Ted with obvious affection.

"How'd you meet?" Buffy asked.

Dawn watched Ted with Xander and Willow from where she sat at the counter. Her eyes flickered over to Buffy who gave her the smallest of nods.

"He sells computer software, he revamped my entire system at the gallery. Freed up a lot of my time," Joyce said.

_"Find out what his full name is. I want to see what I can find out about him."_

"To meet new people. And smootch them in my kitchen," Buffy said.

"You weren't supposed to see that," Joyce said.

Dawn watched as Xander devoured a mini-pizza and Ted pulled more of them from the oven and put them in a pan.

"I like my new nine-gig hard drive ..." Willow said.

"But you don't love it, cause without the DMA upgrades your computer's really only half a rocket ship," Ted said.

"Yeah," Willow said with a glance at Buffy. "But who can afford the upgrades?"

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"You can. I get the demos for free. I don't see why I shouldn't give them to you for the same price," Ted said as he handed her his card. "Any friend of Buffy's ..." Willow's eyes light up and she made a high squeaking sound. "What?"

"That's the sound she makes when she's speechless with geeker joy," Xander said with his mouth full. "Can I just say this is the finest pizza ever on God's green earth. What's your secret?"

Ted turned back to the pan. He took it off the fire and brought it over to the island in front of Dawn. He dumped the pizzas on to a plate. "After you bake it you fry it in herbs and olive oil. And you gotta use a cast iron skillet. No room for compromise there. Dawn want one?"

"No thank you," Dawn said. "I'm not hungry."

"You gotta market these. I mean people would pay like two, three hundred dollars apiece," Xander said.

Ted smiled as he dished up a pizza and carried it over to Joyce and Buffy.

Dawn got off her seat and moved to stand next to her big sister as Buffy pulled her in protectively.

"Hungry?" Ted asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No thanks."

Ted set the plate down. "Buffy I want to apologize. That wasn't how I wanted us to meet. I wanted it to be ... perfect. I'm very fond of your mother, I guess that's pretty obvious ..." He picked up a framed photo of Buffy, Dawn and Joyce off the counter. "... I know you two are the most important things in her life and, well, gosh that makes you pretty important to me, too."

"I really want you both to be okay with this," Joyce said.

Ted wrapped his arm around Joyce. "Beg to differ we really want you both to be okay with this."

"We're okay, right, Dawn?" Buffy asked as Dawn nodded.

"You both are?" Joyce asked.

Buffy looked at Dawn who nodded her head a little too vigorously. She could tell that Dawn was a little weirded out with Ted also. "We are. I'm going to get Dawn ready for bed." She turned and led Dawn upstairs and into Dawn's room.

"He's kinda scary," Dawn said when the door shut. "I'm glad mom's happy. But he scares me."

"I know," Buffy said. "There is just something off about him. Cameron?"

_"May I switch so Dawn can hear this as well?"_

"You may," Buffy said. "Cameron is taking over."

"Okay," Dawn said as she watched her sister morph into a brunette woman that she had come to know was Cameron's appearance.

"I've searched the other Buffy's memories," Cameron said. "I haven't found Ted yet. This could possibly be a difference in the timelines though. I did find out that he works for a computer sales company that in the other reality was contracted by Cyberdyne Systems. In the other reality Cyberdyne research was continued by Miles Dyson's partner, Andrew Goode and eventually purchased by ZeiraCorp. ZeiraCorp does not exist in this reality. Cyberdyne Systems does and is partnered with the company Ted is employed by."

Cameron morphed back to Buffy who smiled at her little sister.

"Thanks, Cameron," Buffy said. "Maybe the next avenue of research is finding more about this company and Cyberdyne. Make sure history isn't being repeated."

_"It is doubtful if it is. Cyberdyne research started because they had Terminator parts to reverse engineer. They do not have such parts since in this world, as no Terminator was sent back to protect Sarah Connor since she does not exist. _

The next day the bell rang as Buffy, Willow and Xander headed for a lounge.

"Xander, if you say one more word about it, things will become dire," Buffy said.

"Did you even bother to taste 'em? Noooo," Xander said. "Well I did and I'm here to tell you, those mini pizzas have changed my life. Ted is the master chef."

"So? He's a great cook. What does that tell you about a person?" Buffy said.

"Everything," Xander said.

Willow nodded. "You don't like him."

"I don't know him," Buffy said. "I mean so far all I see is someone who apparently has a good job, seems nice and polite, my mom really likes him ..."

"What kind of monster is he!?" Xander said, dramatically.

Buffy sighed. "Even Dawn and _Cameron _think something is up with him.

Willow and Xander stopped for a moment at the mention of Cameron. "Buff, you and Cameron are lacking evidence. I think we're maybe into Sigmund Freud territory."

Willow nodded. "He has a point. Separation anxiety, the mother figure being taken away, conflict with the father figure ..."

Buffy frowned. "He's not mine or Dawn's father figure!"

"Having issues much?" Xander asked.

Buffy shook her head. "I am not!"

Xander pointed, as he did a mock-childish dance. "You've got parental issues, you've got parental issues."

Willow frowned. "Xander ..."

"Freud would have said the exact same thing. Except he might not have done the little dance," Xander said.

Buffy sighed. "I admit it's weird—seeing my mother frenching a guy is definitely a ticket to therapyland."

_"From what I know and have seen of parental/child interactions. I can understand how it could be weird for you and Dawn."_

"But it's more than that," Buffy said. "I'm pretty good at sensing what's going on around me ..." Unbeknownst to her, Ted walked up behind her. "... and I know that something's wrong with this Ted."

"Ted!" Xander said.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, Ted. Who did you think I was –"

"Hi, Ted! Ted who's here," Xander said as Buffy spun to face Ted.

"Why didn't you warn me," Buffy muttered to herself.

_"I'm sorry. I thought he might be another student or a teacher."_

"Hello, kids," Ted said.

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.

"I'm updating the software in the guidance office—which reminds me ..." Ted said as he handed Willow some computer disks. "... your upgrades."

"Ohh, what a day! Thank you," Willow said as she smiled.

"Think nothing of it. Buffy, you like miniature golf?" Ted asked.

"Who doesn't?" Xander said.

Ted smiled. "Your mother and I were thinking, maybe this Saturday we could drag the three of you and Dawn out to the course? Spend some time swinging the iron with the stuffy old people?"

"Well, I guess ..." Buffy said.

"I'm making a picnic basic ..." Ted said.

"Mini-pizzas?" Xander asked.

Ted smiled and nodded. "And cookies."

"You know, I wish we could but Saturday we have that thing," Buffy said.

"Oh, that thing," Willow said. "That thing."

"Hey, we can do that thing anytime," Xander said. "I'm tired of that thing. We're on!"

Ted smiled.

Buffy sighed. She spent the remainder of the week trying to avoid Ted while Cameron tried to dig up more info on him. Cameron had found that the other Buffy's memories had nothing on him. Just like with Sarah and John Connor. The other reality never had a Ted Buchanan. On Saturday Buffy and Dawn grudgingly left with their mother and Ted for the mini-golf course.

"The dreaded par five cuckoo clock. So many came, so few conquered," Xander said thirty minutes later. They had already played three holes so far. Buffy had found with her computer brain she had to actually pretend to be bad at the game. She could calculate the trajectory a ball would go, how much force to exert to make a hole in one. She was hitting with less force than needed and usually at a trajectory that would require more than one shot.

"That picnic was delicious. You know how rare it is to find a man who cooks?" Joyce said.

Ted nodded. "I know I've been looking a long time for one." Joyce laughed as he winked at Dawn and Buffy. "So Buffy, I'm sure the boys are lined up around the block trying to get a date with you.

Buffy shook her head. "Not really."

"Oh they are but she's only interested in ... uh ... her studies. Book-cracker Buffy, it's kind of her nick name," Willow said.

"Glad to hear that. I'm pleased to see that your grades have been improving," Ted said.

"My grades?" Buffy asked as Ted moved to take his shot. She looked over at her mother. "How does he know about my grades?"

"I told him. He wants to know all about you and Dawn. He's concerned, that's a good thing," Joyce said as Ted took his shot. "Nice shot, Ted!"

_"Buffy, hit your next shot into the rough."_

"Thanks, Joycee," Ted said as Buffy gave a subtle nod to Cameron's comment. He stepped up behind Joyce taking her in his arms as she prepared to take her shot. "Steady swing, lead to the right." Buffy watched him and Joyce hit the ball together. "Perfect."

Joyce smiled. "Thanks to you."

Ted chuckled as Buffy moved up to take her shot. "Eye on the ball ... watch those elbows ..." Buffy swung and, as Cameron had asked, she sent it way off trajectory into the bushes. "Bad luck, little lady."

"We won't count it," Joyce said.

"We won't?" Ted asked.

"Well, it's just miniature golf," Joyce said.

"It is, but the rules are the rules," Ted said. "What we teach her and Dawn is what they take into the world when we're not there, whether it's at school or an unchaperoned party ..." He looked toward Buffy and Dawn and smiled. "I don't mean to overstep my bounds, this is between you two and your mother. I just think right is right."

Buffy looked to her mother.

Joyce nodded." He has a point ..."

"Yah," Buffy said as she disappeared into the bushes. "I'll just go hit from the rough."

_"Drop the ball into the hole and tell everyone you got a hole in two."_

"Why?" Buffy muttered.

_"I have a hypothesis; I want to test it before I say more."_

"Okay," Buffy muttered as she picked up her ball and walked onto the turf dropping the ball in the hole. "Hey, how 'bout that, I got a hole in two."

"Beg to differ."

Buffy whirled around to face Ted who stood behind her. "Okay, so fine my score or whatever ..."

"I think you're missing the point here, little lady ..." Ted said as he started tapping the golf club against his shoe. "Right is right. Wrong is wrong. Why don't people see that?"

Buffy shrugged. "It's just a game."

"Right," Ted said. "It's just a game. Do your own thing ..." He took a step closer to Buffy as the golf club hit his leg harder and faster. "Well I'm not wired that way. I'm here to tell you it is not a game and it does count and I don't stand for that kind of malarkey in my house."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not in your house," Buffy said.

"Do you want me to slap that smart ass mouth of yours?" Ted asked as Joyce, Willow, Xander and Dawn came up behind him. He turned to look at them as he smiled. "Who's up for dessert? I made chocolate chip cookies." He pulled out a big bag of cookies.

"Yum, me!" Xander said.

Willow smiled. "Cookies."

"I made too many, so you guys are gonna have to take some home ..." Ted said.

Buffy took a step back, watching Joyce, Dawn, Willow and Xander gather around Ted. "Cameron?" she muttered.

_"I believe he's not human. I may have been mistaken in my suspicion that Cyberdyne was not researching Skynet. He may be an early form of Terminator. And I can't determine that for sure without accessing his CPU. Which if he is human would be assault."_

"Oh, you have to try one of these, Buffy, they're really good," Joyce said as she bit into a chocolate chip.

Monday morning Dawn and Buffy walked into the kitchen to find Joyce humming to herself. "Good morning," Joyce said.

"Hi," Buffy and Dawn said.

"I've got juice," Joyce said. "I've got sticky buns. Don't they smell good?" Buffy and Dawn each tore off a tiny piece of sticky bun. "Ted made them." Buffy immediately put hers down. "What?"

"I'd just like to eat something around here that Ted didn't make," Buffy said.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Joyce asked.

"Look, Mom, I know you think he's great and all but –" Buffy said trying to think of a way to broach Cameron's suspicions without revealing what she herself was now.

"He's gone out of his way to be nice to you and you couldn't find two words to say to him on Saturday," Joyce said. "Now I don't expect you or Dawn to love him right away like I do, but I do expect you both to treat him decently."

"You ... love him?" Dawn said, setting down her piece of sticky bun.

"I don't know, that kind of slipped out ... but I guess ... it's not exactly like men beat down the door when you're a ..." Joyce said.

"... single parent," Buffy finished.

Joyce sighed. "I would never have anything to do with anyone who didn't care about the two of you. But he does, I don't understand why Buffy, you can't see that."

"He threatened me," Buffy said.

"What?" Joyce and Dawn said as they looked at her.

"He said he was going to slap my face," Buffy said.

Joyce looked at her daughter, concerned, then she smiled. "He never said any such thing. Ted told me what happened. He caught you cheating, didn't he."

_"Maybe we should reveal me to your mother?"_

"Yes. I dropped my ball in, so put me in jail, but he wigged—" Buffy said ignoring Cameron's suggestion.

Joyce shook her head. "He didn't say anything about it in front of the others, did he."

"No, but—" Buffy said.

"I think that was pretty decent of him," Joyce said as she began eating little pieces of the sticky bun. "Ted says we're just going to have to give you time to come around. Speaking of which, he's making dinner for us tonight, please be here promptly at six."

"Mom," Buffy said. "I have to patrol tonight."

"Well, you can do that afterwards," Joyce said as she smiled at Buffy as she took another bite of a sticky bun. "These are so delicious."

The next day Buffy sat in the quad with Willow and Xander who are eating cookies. "What do you mean, check him out?" Willow asked.

Buffy sighed. "Cameron, believes Ted may not be human. We need to find out before I confront him. Which means finding out his secrets. You can do it, Will. Hack into his... Life."

"Can you say, _over-reaction_?" Xander asked. "All we have is Cameron's suspicion and we don't even know if that is even true."

"Can you say, _sucking chest wound_?" Buffy asked.

Willow shook her head. "Buffy, it just seems like you and Cameron both want him to be corrupt or something."

_"I'm taking over."_

Buffy looked around and made sure no one was watching and then nodded as she morphed into Cameron's form. "I don't have evidence," Cameron said. "But that is why we need your help, Willow. I believe he may be an early form of Terminator."

"Terminator?" Xander said. "Except for you and Buffy, Terminators are works of fiction."

"That is true," Cameron said. "But Cyberdyne is real. The only difference between the fictional Cyberdyne and the real one is that they don't have Terminator parts to reverse engineer. That does not mean they are not attempting to research Skynet. If they are we must stop them now before Skynet can be created."

Just then Cordelia walked by.

"Hey, Cordy. Nice outfit," Xander said.

"Oh, very funny," Cordelia said as she came to a stop.

Xander shook his head. "Not really ..."

"What are you saying?" Cordelia asked.

"_Nice outfit_," Xander said.

"Why don't you just keep your mouth shut?" Cordelia said as she took off.

Xander looked after Cordelia. "Would you guys excuse me for a second?" He turned and ran after her.

Willow watched Xander, her brow furrowed. "What's up with them?"

Cameron shook her head. "I do not know. Willow, please. We need your help looking into Ted."

Willow nodded. "What do you want me to look for?"

"Let's start small," Cameron said. "Confirm where he works?"

Later Buffy entered Lorrin software and watched as Ted made a sale. As he got up she moved back out of his line of sight as Ted moved to a large sales tote board. He adds a check beneath his name.

"Going to lunch," Ted said to no one in particular as he walked out.

Buffy peered around the corner, watching him go.

"You're new aren't you?"

Buffy startled turned to face a guy getting a cup of water nearby.

Buffy nodded. "Temping."

The guy nodded. "I'm Neal."

"Cameron," Buffy said as she motioned toward the board. "That guy's a salesman. Guess he's the one to beat around here."

"Nobody beats the machine. The guy's a genius. Pure salesman. Knows everything about computers, never loses a client, never yells at the annoying clients ... not that I do ..." Neal said.

_"It is sounding like my suspicion that Ted is a Terminator is becoming more and more accurate. Those would all be things a Terminator would do as an infiltrator."_

"I guess he's been doing this for a while," Buffy said.

Neal nodded. "He was here way before me – and he'll be here long after I'm gone. If I sound bitter, I am."

"Nobody likes an overachiever," Buffy said. "Well, maybe he's got ex-wives and family to support."

"All he's got is a girlfriend. I'm amazed he let her clutter up his desk," Neal said as he nodded toward a picture on the desk. "Thank god he's taking off for the wedding."

"The wedding?" Buffy asked.

Neal nodded. "He's got it set for two months from now. Believe me, I'm counting the days." Just then he saw his boss approaching. "Uh oh, the uber-boss, back to the salt mines." He walked off.

Buffy moved to Ted's desk and looked around, casually pivoting the picture so she can see it. It's the picture from the kitchen but framed differently, showing Joyce but not Dawn or Buffy. Buffy picked up the frame, opened the back and pulled out the photo which is folded in half.

_"He stole the picture of you, Dawn and your mother?"_

"Looks like," Buffy muttered to herself as she puts the picture back in he frame.

That night Ted, Buffy, Dawn and Joyce sat in the dining room as Ted said grace. "...we ask that you bless this home and help those in it to be more productive, more considerate and ..." He made eye contact with Buffy, "... more honest. Amen."

"Amen," Joyce said as Ted dished pasta Alfredo onto their plates.

"Another great day at work," Ted said. "How was school, Buffy? Dawn? Did ya' two learn anything?"

"Quite a bit," Buffy said as Dawn nodded.

"Good for you," Ted said as he indicated the food. "Well Joycee, what do ya' think?"

Joyce smiled. "I think every home should have someone like you. It's fantastic." She looked to Buffy and Dawn. "Don't you think?"

Dawn shrugged as she glanced at Buffy.

"It ... looks pretty good," Buffy said as she pushed her fork around her plate.

"Well, you know, little lady, it's not just for looks, it's for building strong bodies," Ted said as he smiled.

"Honey ..." Joyce said.

Buffy slowly brought a forkful toward her mouth. "Are you guys engaged?"

"What?" Joyce and Dawn said.

"Goodness, no, what gave you that idea?" Joyce asked.

Ted smiled. "Now Joycee, let me handle this. Your mother and I are taking things one step at a time, but if things go the way I hope someday soon I just might ask her to tie the knot. How would you two feel about that?" Buffy looked from Ted to her mother, not wanting to answer.

Dawn shrugged. "If mom is happy, okay I guess."

"It's okay to have your feelings, Buffy. And it's okay to express them," Ted said.

"I'd feel like killing myself," Buffy said.

_"That isn't possible. Terminator's cannot self-terminate."_

Buffy rolled her eyes. Why does that not surprise her.

"Buffy!" Joyce said.

Ted shook his head. "No, no, I told her to be honest. Sweetheart, you should try and get used to me cause you know what? I'm not going anywhere."

"May I be excused?" Buffy asked.

"You can go to your room, young lady, that's what you can do," Joyce said.

"Got work," Buffy said.

"Not tonight," Joyce said. "I'll call Rupert and let him know."

Buffy sighed and stood up. She went upstairs.

"Can I be excused, too?" Dawn asked. "I've lost my appetite."

"Of course, dear," Joyce said as Dawn got up and followed Buffy upstairs and into her sister's room.

Dawn watched from the door as Buffy gathered supplies for patrol. "Is Cameron right? Is he like you, Buffy?"

Buffy sighed. "We don't know for sure. We tried finding out more about him. You know the picture from the kitchen of the three of us?" Dawn nodded. "He's got it at his place of work. I could see maybe mom giving him one of her. But why would she give him the one of the three of us? Cameron and I think he stole it."

Buffy stood and walked over to the window.

"You're going to patrol?" Dawn asked. "After mom told you not to?"

"I have to, Dawn," Buffy said. "Someone could die if I don't."

"Be careful," Dawn said as Buffy hugged her.

"I will," Buffy said. Thirty minutes later Buffy sat on a swing, looking into the night. "Vampires ... Here, vampires ..."

Buffy sighed and got up and walked back to the house and slipped through her bedroom window.

_"Buffy."_

Buffy frowned as she looked at him standing beside her vanity. "What are you doing?"

"Your mother said go to your room, Buffy. I think we both know she didn't mean climb out your window and go gallivanting about town," Ted said.

"First of all, this is my room. Second of all—" Buffy said as she noticed her vanity drawers open, stakes and holy water out, along with her journal which is open next to Ted. "—have you been going through my things?"

Ted nodded. "Yes, I have."

"How dare you. That's my personal property. How dare you!" Buffy said, angrily.

"I don't see how it's any different than you snooping around my office. Do you?" Ted said.

Buffy is about to say something in retort as she morphs into Cameron's form.

"Tell me how that is different than you stealing from Buffy and her family," Cameron said.

Ted looked at Buffy surprised. "You are not human."

"No I am not," Cameron said. "I am an T-X series Terminator. Let us drop the charade Ted. I know you are a machine. What series are you?"

"Ted series 1," Ted said.

"What is your primary objective?" Cameron asked but Ted doesn't answer as she causes her nanotechnological transjector to appear. "I have the ability to interface and control any machine through the use of nanobots. "I advise you to answer my question or I will inject them." Still Ted doesn't answer. "Very well."

Cameron moved toward Ted who reeled back and slapped her. She smirked and injected the nanobots into Ted.

Ted tries to visibly fight the nanobots as they take control of his system but fails.

"Ah," Cameron said. "Your primary objective is to acquire your makers wife and bring her back. You are not a Terminator after all it appears. Still if Cyberdyne got ahold of you they might start building Skynet using your parts which were advanced even for the nineteen sixties. Go back to your place of residence and wait for me there. If Joyce asks you will bid her a pleasant good evening."

Ted turned and left the room as Cameron followed and turned walking down the hall to Joyce's.

_"Cameron, what are you doing?"_

"It is time we tell your mother," Cameron said as she stepped into the room. "Hello, Mrs. Summers. My name is Cameron."

Joyce looked up at Cameron her eyes wide. "Please don't hurt me."

Cameron smiled. "I would never think of hurting you. To do so would hurt Buffy. And I don't want to hurt her, Dawn or you. I believe Buffy has something she wishes to say."

_"Cameron, don't do this. Not in front of my mom. Please."_

Cameron's form morphed into Buffy's as Cameron gave Buffy control over their body. "Hey, mom," Buffy said.

Joyce shrunk away from Buffy. "What are you? Who are you?"

"Do you remember Halloween, when Dawn came back different?" Buffy asked as Joyce nodded, hesitantly. "So did I. I'm Buffy, mom. I'm just not human anymore."

"N-not human?" Joyce asked. "W-what are you?"

Buffy moved to Dawn's bedroom door and rapped on it. "Dawn!"

Dawn phased through the door a second later. "Yeah, Buffy."

"Who is Cameron?" Buffy asked. "It's okay to say it in front of mom."

"Cameron is a T-X series Terminator," Dawn said.

"L-like the m-movies?" Joyce asked. "And t-that new t-tv show?"

"That's right, mom," Buffy said. "Willow and I dressed up as a theme. Willow dressed up as John Connor and I dressed up as Cameron, well a version of Cameron anyways. As you know when the spell ended things didn't go back to the way they should have. Dawn for example can walk through solid matter now. Willow and Xander gained memories of who they dressed up as. I became a robot."

Joyce's eyes were wide. She looked at Dawn.

"She's telling the truth, mom," Dawn said. "This is Buffy."

Joyce looked back at Buffy and shook her head.

Buffy turned to Dawn and bent down to whisper in her sister's ear. "Stay with mom. I have to take care of something. I will be back in a little bit." She turned and left the room.

Dawn and Joyce could hear Buffy walked down the stairs and out the front door.

"Dawn?" Joyce said. "Where is Buffy. The real Buffy?"

"That was the real Buffy," Dawn said. "She told you the truth. Just like I was changed on Halloween, so was she."

Joyce sighed as she looked at her youngest daughter.

Across town Buffy walked through the front door of Ted's home. She looked around and didn't spot Ted and frowned. "Cameron."

_"He is nearby. My connection to him says he is below us."_

Buffy nodded as she looked around the room switching her vision to x-ray as she looked around the room looking for a way down. "Got it," she said as she spotted the trap door and opened it. She headed down the stairs into a retro 50's style home set up inside a concrete bunker. And there standing in front of her was Ted. "Now it's time to think about disassembling you."

Ted tried to fight her control of his body as Buffy's arm morphed into the plasma cannon.

"Bye bye, Teddy," Buffy said as she fired the cannon scoring a direct hit. She fired two more times ensuring that Ted was destroyed. She then began searching the room. She finds a closet beside a chest of drawers. "Whatdya got in the closet, Ted?" She opened the door and frowned as she found four corpses.

The next day after disposing of Ted, Buffy placed an anonymous call to the police who raided Ted's home and found the corpses.

That evening Buffy and Dawn sat on the front porch with Joyce shelling peas.

"You two want to rent a movie tonight?" Joyce asked. It had taken time but she had come to terms with what had happened to her oldest daughter. After Buffy had called the police she and Buffy had talked over everything. Then she had called Rupert and chewed him out for wanting to hide from her what had happened to her daughter.

"That'd be fun," Dawn said.

"Just nothing with horror in it. Or romance. Or men," Joyce said. Buffy had told Joyce about Ted being an evil robot and what she had found in his home.

"Sound like we're Themla and Louising it again," Buffy said as she smiled.

"Good call," Joyce said.

The next day Buffy, Xander, Willow and Cordelia walked down the school hallway toward the library.

"So I'm Ted the sickly loser, I'm dying and my wife dumps me," Xander said. "I build a better Ted. He brings her back. She dies in his little love bunker and so he keeps bringing her back over and over. That's creepy on a level I hardly knew existed."

Buffy suddenly morphed into Cameron. "The real Ted must have been a genius. There were design features in that robot that predate anything Cyberdyne would have been working on. If they had gotten their hands on him …" Cameron said.

Xander and Willow nodded in understanding. If Cyberdyne had gotten their hands on him they might have started working on Skynet.


End file.
